This week, President Obama urged Congress to budget an additional $450 million for wildfire suppression to continue fighting the ongoing wildfires for the 2015 wildfire season. Additionally, this funding would replenish accounts that were borrowed from at the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) following cost overruns in previous fire suppression efforts.
The $450 million request appears on the list of “budget anomalies or exceptions” to the fiscal year 2015 spending plan proposed by the Administration. These additional funds would need to be included in the likely necessary Continuing Resolution that will keep the government afloat after October 1, 2015 if a Budget is not passed.
According to USFS Chief Tom Tidwell, a shift of funds from forest health and fire prevention projects to firefighting needs began this month with an initial transfer of $250 million, expected to be followed by another expected transfer of $200 million later in the season.